Oct. 24, 2010

Maryland gun store tied to 2,500 crime guns

A Post investigation breaks years of secrecy on where region’s crime guns are sold and how they move through society.

How politics protect gun dealers

Why we know less about crime gun sales than we did 10 years ago.

Oct. 25, 2010

Store’s guns moved quickly to crime

D & R Arms had few gun traces for its first 10 years of business. But starting in 2004, traces surged.

Virginia dealers and 'crime guns'

A handful of state dealers sell 60 percent of guns tied to crimes.

• Graphic: What does a fast 'time to crime' mean?

Oct. 26, 2010

Firearms watchdog on short leash

ATF’s resources, reach are limited as the gun lobby wields its influence.

Nov. 21, 2010

How cop killers get their guns

Surprising patterns found in an unprecedented investigation of more than 500 police officer deaths.

Nov. 22, 2010

The tale of two guns

The Post tracked two guns from entry into the U.S. through to recovery at a murder scene. Both changed hands multiple times before being used to kill a police officer.

• Read more: The confiscated gun

Dec. 13, 2010

U.S. guns tied to Mexican crime

The Post has uncovered the names of the top 12 U.S. dealers of guns traced to Mexico in the past two years.

• More: Dealers with highest domestic traces

Dec. 14, 2010

Sellers shut down by ATF find other ways

A new name on a license can mean business continues as usual, even after the ATF revokes or denies a license.

Dec. 15, 2010

NRA-led gun lobby's powerful influence

The NRA-led gun lobby has consistently outmaneuvered and hemmed in the ATF, using political muscle to erect barriers to tougher gun laws.

• More: Lobbyist influences gun debate, beyond

Continuing Coverage

Gun store under investigation

A federal grand jury is investigating Houston-area seller Carter's Country for illegal sales of firearms that ended up in the hands of Mexican drug cartels.

Proposal would require reports of bulk gun sales

Certain gun dealers along the Mexican border would have to report bulk sales of so-called assault weapons.

White House delayed gunrunning rule

Administration officials held up a proposal to require dealers to report sales of weapons favored by Mexican drug cartels.

Data hint at assault gun ban's effects

Data from Virginia show a drop in criminal firepower during the period that the assault weapons ban was in place.

Over 62,000 guns unaccounted for in U.S. since 2008

The firearms have disappeared from inventories of licensed gun dealers.

Searchable database

Licenses revoked, denied

Have gun stores in or around your community had their licenses revoked or denied? Search for dealers near you to find out.

Confidential Documents

Deconstructing a gun trace

Explore a confidential gun trace report to learn about the challenges that face criminal investigators.

Interactive map

NRA’s electoral influence

How much did the NRA spend in your district in the 2010 midterm elections? See how NRA-backed candidates fared in your community.

Interactive Map

511 officers down

Have police officers been killed in your community? Learn more with our interactive map.

Interactive Map

How guns move across state lines

Is your state a gun importer or exporter? Where do its guns go to, and where do they come from?

Graphic

Time to crime in Virginia

At one Virginia gun store, guns moved quickly from sales counter to crime.

Graphic

Protecting themselves from the ATF

The ATF's odyssey of trying to revoke the license of one Maryland dealer.

Gallery

Teaching gun smarts in N. Va.

Tina Wilson-Cohen is an NRA-certified firearms instructor. The NRA says training is still a major part of its mission.

Gallery

A city rebounds from gun, gang violence

In 2007, there were seven slayings in National City, Calif., involving guns. In the past three years there have been only three.

Gallery

Las Vegas gun show

Business was booming in January at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoors Trade Show in Las Vegas.

Gallery

Mexican violence, U.S. guns

Authorities have struggled to keep U.S. firearms out of the hands of drug cartels as violence increases south of the border.

Photo Gallery

When cops become victims

Photos of some of the 511 police officers killed by guns since early 2000, and their families.

• More photos: Two officers' lives cut short

Photo gallery

Dealers on the front lines

Sellers say they work to keep guns out of the wrong hands -- doing background checks and watching out for attempted "straw purchases" -- but that there's only so much they can do.

Video

'Outfitting private armies'

An ATF agent explains how Texas guns fuel Mexico's drug war, and a killer reenacts shooting to death a Houston police officer.

Documentary Video

‘Am I sorry? Yes, I am.’

Darryl Jeter killed Indiana State Trooper Scott Patrick with a handgun in 2003.

• More video: A father's grief

Documentary Video

Tracing guns by hand

Staff at the ATF's National Tracing Center fielded 300,000 requests last year.

• Photo gallery: Tracing center

Documentary Video

Bob's Gun Shop

Shop owner Robert Marcus said he turns away a suspicious buyer almost every day.